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Searcy transplants bring grunge country to Vino's.

We think it’s sort of fitting that a town with a strong fundamentalist population like Searcy could produce such a rebellious product as feminist punk trio the Gossip, who got the hell out of Dodge right out of high school and relocated to grunge-haven Olympia, Wash.
They hit it hard at Vino’s Brewpub Friday, Nov. 26.
Rubenesque leader Beth Ditto made a sensation in the groups’ new home area with her growling, gospel-influenced vocals backed up by minimalist drums (Kathy Mendonca) and raw, explosive guitar (Nathan Howdeshell); the group has no bass player. Their latest CD, “Undead in NYC,” includes tracks such as “Don’t Make Waves,” an autobiographical “Arkansas Heat” and a cover of Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” with Seattle based punk n’ dance band the Chromatics.
Ex-Sarge pop-punk frontwoman Elizabeth Elmore, who took a two-year hiatus from the group to study law, returned to the stage recently with the Reputation; Elmore and her band will appear on the bill as well. Also performing are local groups Sugar and the Raw and Hector Faceplant. The show starts at 8:30 p.m.; admission is $7.
Notice it’s now Sugar AND the Raw. The band is apparently facing litigation from the sugar company with the name Sugar in the Raw, according the local band’s Mike Motley, so they’ve altered their moniker slightly to make peace.
Grandpa’s Goodtime Fandango, the 2004 Arkansas Times Musician Showcase winner, combines funk, rock and jam-band qualities and will play Sticky Fingerz on Saturday, Nov. 27. GGF is paired with its 9 p.m. opening act, the hip-hop-meets-jam-band Opie Hicks and the Elements from Springfield, Mo. Admission is $6. Showtime is 9:30 p.m.
The almost legendary local group Bobgoblin pulls from ’80s influences and has a fun show that has drawn comparison to the hooky-pop of the Cars or the deconstruction pop of Devo and the Buggles, complete with uniform-like get-ups. Either love ‘em or hate ’em, they play at Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom on Nov. 27 with Heber Springs’ Grand Serenade opening. Showtime is 9:30 p.m.; $5 gets you in.
Legends Bar and Grill, according to its management, will still have little person porn star Bridget the Midget for an appearance at the club for its after-game party Friday, Nov. 26 (Arkansas and LSU meet here earlier in the day). She will not be garbed in her usual burlesque outfits, however. It seems the Little Rock Police put a stop to a recent visit by the “Girls Gone Wild” video crew, so the club is toning the appearance down a notch.
And, in a 180-degree turn from Friday’s show, the club will host the Big John Miller Band on Saturday, Nov. 28. Legends is a private club at 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road and is open daily from 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Call 537-2357.
Head’s up for Thursday, Dec. 2, when two national acts are in town: Jay Farrar, former frontman for Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, will be at Sticky Fingerz starting at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance for $10, or $12 at the door. And Drew Emmitt, mandolin player and vocalist of Colorado-based progressive bluegrass band Leftover Salmon will play with his own band 9 p.m. at Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom the same night. Tickets are available in advance for $12, or $15 at the door.

The menu at this three-dining-room New Orleans-inspired bistro is enormous and the service excellent.

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Next week a series of meetings on the use of technology to tackle global problems will be held in Little Rock by Club de Madrid — a coalition of more than 100 former democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world — and the P80 Group, a coalition of large public pension and sovereign wealth funds founded by Prince Charles to combat climate change. The conference will discuss deploying existing technologies to increase access to food, water, energy, clean environment, and medical care.

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Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) was on "Capitol View" on KARK, Channel 4, this morning, and among other things that will likely inspire you to yell at your computer screen, he said he expects someone in the legislature to file a bill to do ... something about changing the name of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport.

So fed up was young Edgar Welch of Salisbury, N.C., that Hillary Clinton was getting away with running a child-sex ring that he grabbed a couple of guns last Sunday, drove 360 miles to the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C., where Clinton was supposed to be holding the kids as sex slaves, and fired his AR-15 into the floor to clear the joint of pizza cravers and conduct his own investigation of the pedophilia syndicate of the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.

There is almost nothing real about "reality TV." All but the dullest viewers understand that the dramatic twists and turns on shows like "The Bachelor" or "Celebrity Apprentice" are scripted in advance. More or less like professional wrestling, Donald Trump's previous claim to fame.

Haynes’ blues group Govt. Mule, Little River Band, Honeytribe are in town.

Country rockers try to replicate their Lone Star state success.

Local rap collective Conduit celebrates the release of its latest compilation album, “Theme Muzik,” with an expanded version of its regular concert series “The Chill” at the Revolution Music Room on Friday.

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'Moonlight' is a triptych on masculinity.

Before Pearls breaks its brief silent treatment about Razorback basketball's latest bid to shake off listless irrelevance, we'll spend a word or two on the Belk Bowl, where the football team draws a Dec. 29 matchup with Virginia Tech in Charlotte.